2007 ABA Cruise Highlights
Cruisin’ & Dancin’ on the High Seas
Ahhh! Outdoor temperatures in the 70’s and 80’s, no rush hour traffic, no alarm clocks… such was life aboard the beautiful Star Princess cruise ship. The only mandatory deadline to keep was getting back on board ship at the end of the day in a port of call. All other scheduled events were optional.
Our first stop was Ocho Rios in Jamaica. Some of us climbed Dunn’s River Falls while some of the more seasoned cruisers hung out at Jimmy Buffet’s Margaritaville for most of the day. Next stop was Grand Cayman which was surrounded by amazingly clear water. Cozumel, Mexico had some sparkling new features that have risen from the rubble of hurricane Wilma. The ABA hosted a wonderful party at a picturesque private beach that also included a pool, hot tub, swim-up bar, buffet lunch and a special dance performance by native Mexican dancers. The ship’s captain decided to pass by our last port of call at Princess Cays in the Bahamas due to water that was too rough in the harbor for transporting passengers to and from the ship. We ended up back where we started in Fort Lauderdale, FL.
The ABA folks who planned the dances and workshops for the cruise must have done all the planning work ahead of time because all that was left to do by cruise time was to have fun. Seven late night dances and five workshops were enjoyed by 331 people representing 31 ABA clubs. Dance venues included lounge areas with dance floors and pool-side decks under the stars. The Star Princess wait staff were in faithful attendance with beverages on demand at every event.
Some of our favorite DJ’s were among the cruisers so we had the comfort of dancing to our own familiar music. We all appreciated the talents of the following DJ’s, who committed a small portion of their cruise time so that the rest of us could enjoy dancing:
| Joanne Johnson | Charlotte Shag Club |
| Paul Hennessey | Cincinnati Bop Club |
| Ruth Gilbert | South Side Imperial Dance Club |
| Linda Huebner | South Side Imperial Dance Club |
| Bud Waters | West County Swing Dance Club |
| Larry Wheelis | St. Louis Imperial Dance Club |
Part of the enjoyment of dancing is learning new moves to add variety and interest to our dances. Our five workshops offered opportunities for us to add to our bag of tricks, so to speak. We appreciated these instructors who devoted some of their cruise time to teach us some of the moves that we enjoy watching them do:
| Bill Smith and Rosina Moehlenkamp | Lake of the Ozarks Swing Dance Club |
| Jim and Virginia Stanton | Little Rock Bop |
| Gary and Charlotte Chaney | South Side Imperial Dance Club |
| Bill Breithaupt and Gail Planer | South Side Imperial Dance Club |
| Tony and Myra Griemel | Jefferson County Swing Dance Club |
Fun was the theme of the ABA cruise. No one seemed to have any trouble understanding the theme. Fun comes naturally in the right environment… outdoor temperatures in the 70’s and 80’s, no rush hour traffic, no alarm clocks. Join us next year for cruisin' and dancin’ on the high seas!
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